Most of St. Clair's traffic lights went dark on Saturday afternoon, turning routine drives into a slow, awkward dance through uncontrolled intersections. Police urged drivers to stay calm, be courteous, and take turns while crews work behind the scenes to get the signals glowing again.
In a Facebook post, the St. Clair Police Department said that "most stoplights are not working" in town and asked residents to "be patient and take turns appropriately," reminding drivers that any dark signal should be treated as a stop sign, according to St. Clair Police Department. The department did not provide a timetable for repairs.
How to approach dark or flashing signals
Per the Missouri Driver Guide, intersections where the signals are dark should be handled like four-way stops: drivers must come to a complete stop at the limit line or before the crosswalk and yield to vehicles that arrived first. Federal guidance in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, summarized in an FHWA signal guide, backs up that approach and explains how agencies may use default settings or manual control to cut down on confusion, according to FHWA.
Where to report problems
The police department's Facebook post did not identify a cause for the widespread outage or say when power to the signals would be restored, per St. Clair Police Department. If a non-working signal is creating an immediate hazard, officials say to call 911; for non-emergency issues on state-maintained roads, the Missouri Department of Transportation asks residents to use its "Report a Road Concern" webform or call 1-888-ASK-MODOT (1-888-275-6636), according to MoDOT.
Quick safety tips
Slow down, stop fully, and move through the intersection only when it is clearly your turn. Use your turn signals, watch closely for pedestrians and cyclists, and keep an eye out for emergency vehicles. Police are asking for patience while crews work on the problem, and updates are expected if the department later shares a repair timeline or official cause.
